Tuesday NCAAB Picks
Our team of writers and handicappers hand out their College Basketball picks and predictions for Tuesday, February 3.
Marquette at DePaul, 9:00PM ET
With talent like Wesley Matthews and Lazar Hayward around, there are games when Jerel McNeal may not even be Marquette’s top all-around player, let alone one of the best players in the Big East and perhaps the entire country.
Lately, he’s been all of the above.
Looking for his sixth straight 20-point performance, McNeal will try to lead the eighth-ranked Golden Eagles to their 12th consecutive victory Tuesday night as the Big East’s lone unbeaten travels to DePaul, which is still seeking its first conference win.
McNeal’s scoring average has gone up in each of his four years at Marquette, rising from 11.1 as a freshman to 14.7 as a sophomore before a modest jump to 14.9 points per game last season.
As a senior, McNeal has increased his average to 19.7 ppg – third in the Big East – and he, Matthews (19.2) and Hayward (16.6) have the Golden Eagles (19-2, 8-0 Big East) averaging 81.6 points, good for 10th in the nation.
NCAA Free Pick: Marquette – View Game Matchup | Best Line: -11.5 Sportsbook.com
Maryland at North Carolina, 8:00PM ET
If North Carolina needs any motivation for its next game, all it has to do is look back at last season’s loss to Maryland at the Smith Center.
The third-ranked Tar Heels look for their sixth straight win on Tuesday night as they host the Terrapins, who ended their hopes for an undefeated 2007-08.
North Carolina (19-2, 5-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) won its first 18 games a season ago before falling 82-80 to Maryland on Jan. 19, 2008. It was the Tar Heels’ second straight loss in this series overall, and the eighth win in 22 visits to the Smith Center for the Terrapins. Only Duke (10) has won there more times as a visitor.
Another Maryland (14-7, 3-4) win in this matchup would certainly be a surprise. North Carolina earned its fifth straight win Saturday, 93-76 victory over North Carolina State. After seeing his run of consecutive games scoring in double figures end at 55 in Wednesday’s 80-77 win over Florida State, Tyler Hansbrough had 31 points against the Wolfpack.
NCAA Free Pick: Maryland – View Game Matchup | Best Line: +21.5 Sportsbook.com
Northern Iowa at Bradley, 8:05PM ET
BRADLEY is 15-10 against the spread versus N IOWA since 1997
BRADLEY is 14-11 straight up against N IOWA since 1997
6 of 10 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL since 1997
NCAA Free Pick: UNDER – View Game Matchup | Best Line: O/U 130 Sportsbook.com
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Posted: 2/3/09 12:29PM ET
